Honours system 'out of date' say MPs

Last updated at 11:04 13 July 2004

The Order of the British Empire should be scrapped and replaced by a new Order of British Excellence while knighthoods and damehoods should be phased out within five years, a committee of MPs has said.

The automatic award of honours to civil servants and diplomats is also criticised by the Public Administration Committee.

Labour member Anne Campbell said the Prime Minister's power of patronage should also be removed.

She said Tony Blair's decision to honour England's World Cup winning rugby team did not do the honours system "many favours".

The committee said that while there was still "solid" support for the honours system, it said they there was "unease" about the way it operated.

"The title 'Order of the British Empire' was now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of the country's population," it said.

'Out of date'

Ms Campbell said she hoped the committee's review, published later today, will influence the